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Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse," but by the early 16th century, it was functioning as a noun referring to a harsh verbal attack, and within a few decades, to abusive language as a whole. Invective is similar to verbal abuse, but in addition to being a more formal term than abuse, invective tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but also rhetorical skill. It sometimes also implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective."
Examples of invective in a Sentence
Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Douglas McCarthy, the vocalist who hectored anarchic invective with EBM innovators Nitzer Ebb and who joined Depeche Mode keyboardist Alan Wilder’s Recoil side project, died Wednesday at the age of 58.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
Between the time the former Marine Soto was indicted in 2018 and sentenced in 2020, then-President Donald Trump offered up vitriolic invective to Mexican officials.
—Sean Campbell, The Conversation, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Cite this Entry
“Invective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invective. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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